I hate to hear that you have such an insensitive physician with such
bad bedside manners and I understand your anger and I sympathize with you.
When I was run over by a semi head on, I held an anger that I couldnt seem to
shake. I went from being a carefree do what I wanted to do person, to a
person with a spinalcord injury with my insides ripped apart cripple. Not
only did the split second change in my life anger me, but I was a bit younger
with marriage on my mind and I had a sixty thousand dollar a year job that I
could no longer return to. I had no feeling in my legs, nor from the waist
down for that matter and I lost sixty pounds and was wasting away. I could'nt
find a surgeon who would touch me, but they ran up over 40,000.00 in medical
bills just hoping to collect from my misfortune. I lost everything I had ever
owned just to keep a good name and keep my bills paid. One evening, I got
really ill and had to go to the emergency room, and a friend dropped by just
in time to take me, only to find out that I was dying of kidney failure. Wel
while I was in the emergency room they called in a surgeon, and a
neurosurgeon that had already denied trying to help me. Why the neurosurgeon
was called in I still do not know, but my friend watched as he ran needles
into each of my toes until they were gushing blood. I looked down at my feet
and asked where all the blood came from because I had no feeling in my lower
body. My friend looked at me and said that I never flinched or made a move as
the neurosurgeon ran the needles into each of my toes. I said naturally I
did'nt flinch because I had no feeling in my lower body. My friend was almost
sick and he asked the doctor what he was going to do. The doctor who was
checking my kidney function said that I was to stay in the hospital because I
had no kidney fuction. I was crying in severe pain from my kidneys, because
kidney pain is worse than any crushed bones that I had in my back or neck.
Well they admitted me into the hospital for two weeks and got my kidney
function stabilized to the point that I could be released when the
neurosurgeon happeed to walk in. Out of the blue he told me that I was not
going to go home and I asked him if he changed his mind about doing the
spinal surgury on me. The clown loked at me and said no I am having you
admitted to the nineth floor of Babtist hospital, which I thought nothing of
because I was hoping that he had found a surgeon to help me and work on my
back. When I got to the nineth floor, I realized that the doors were locked
and they had no televisions in the rooms and no phones. I was in a wheelchair
and I went to the nurses desk to see just what was going on. She pulled me
aside and told me that this kind of thing happened all of the time, and that
the neurosurgeon had admitted me to the psycho ward in order to collect
insurance money. Not because I had no place to go, because my parents were
living and I had many friends whose doors are always open to me, but he had
me admitted for a minimum of 72 hours just so he could run up a bill. I was
madder than a hornet and demanded to see someone. A bit later this
psychiatrist came up and called me in and she was mad because she was'nt
supposed to work until the afternoon. It was'nt five minutes that we talked
and she asked me stupid questions about suicide or if I had ever thought of
killing someone. I said yes I want to kill me a neurosurgeon for what he has
done, the idiot is a greedy nutcase. I said that I had no reason to be in the
psycho ward because I am not crazy, but if they did'nt let me out that I was
going to show them crazy. I told her that I would run the wheelchair right
through the door and leave. Man I was mad! Well I calmed down and asked her
if she knew this doctor who happened to be my family doctor and she said yes
i know him quite well. I told her to give him a call and ask him for a
diagnosis of my medical problem. Five minutes later they were apologizing to
me and opening the doors to let me go home to my parents. When I got home, my
grandmother was visiting from Kansas. She is a millionaire and wont part with
a dime. I told her what happened and asked her for a loan to go to San
Francisco to see a specialist who would operate on me, and that I would pay
her back when the case was settled from the truck running over me. She had
the nerve to tell me that if the doctors had me locked up that it must be all
in my head and refused to lend me a dime. To make a long story short, no one
in the family has spoken to my selfish grandmother since.. I know just what
pissed off can be. I was insulted by the hospital, the neurosurgeon, and my
own grandmother all in one day.Now this is a true story! It happens that I am
a christian, so I am forgiving of the idiots that tell patients that it is
all in their head, and I went down the same road that you have just traveled
many times until I found a surgeon in Phoenix Arizona that felt my pain just
by looking into my eyes, and took the risk of paralyzing me and the redicule
of possibly loosing his license to practice medicine, and did the necessary
surgury to get me on my feet. I have had four surguries in each of the last
four years, and I feel like a gutted fish and my legs dont work right so I
have to use a cane to get around, and I cant go far because I am really weak
in the legs, but thank God for those doctors who do care and refuse to
redicule anyone. They see pain every day so they become numb to it. I told
you what happened to me so that you would know that we know what you are
going through. Say a prayer for the insensitivity of the doctor and find one
who cares about his or her patients, and dont let it get you down. I would
ignore the bill also and pay the doctor who listens to you and cares enough
to do the tests and carry through with your treatment. Of course I can say
that because I have over a half a million dollars in medical bills, but I
make real sure that the doctors who cared enough to care for me when I need
it get paid as best as I can. I have been paying one doctor for eight years
now and he may never collect all of his money that I owe, but he never has
asked me for a dime and he will treat me in a heartbeat. Now thats a great
doctor and a greater man. Like Jesus said' " pray for those who persecute
you, for they have their reward here on earth, but their eternal reward will
be cast into outer darkness in the day of judgement" I'll keep yu in my
prayers Dave